Global pay TV subscribers to remain at around one billion

One billion pay TV subscribers

The number of pay TV subscribers across 138 countries will reach 1.03 billion by 2027; slightly up on 2021 as pay TV continues to grow in developing countries. This total represents 57% of TV households – down from the peak of 61% in 2018.

Simon Murray, Principal Analyst at Digital TV Research, said: “Given the increasing demand for fast broadband connections, IPTV will be the pay TV winner. IPTV will add 79 million subscribers between 2021 and 2027 to take its total to 440 million. IPTV will become the pay TV leader in 2022.”

Pay satellite TV will lose 12 million subscribers between 2021 and 2027 as homes convert to platforms that offer high-speed broadband.

There will be 367 million cable TV subs by 2027, 56 million lower than the 422 million recorded in 2021. The 2021 total includes 22 million analog cable TV subscribers. This total will fall to zero by 2027.